Playing dressup

As I have stated in a previous entry, thousands of tourists descend upon the small city of Cannes at this time every year, hoping for a glimpse into the world of the rich and famous. They walk along the Croisette, eating gelato, and peer into the cool magnificent windows of shops like Chanel and Gucci. Or else they stand behind the blockades at the Palais des Festivals, hoping for a glimpse of their favorite movie star. A few lucky ones stand in line, hoping to get tickets for daytime viewings of the movies.

Well, I was one of the lucky ones the other night; my sister and I got tickets to see one of the film festival movies. And it wasn't even one of the skimpy daytime showings; this was a main event, an evening premiere of a movie that is in competition for the Palme d'Or. So with fingers crossed that our normal dresses would pass the bar, we headed off for our own few seconds of fame.

My ticket to the show! As stated, formal dress was the dress code, but obviously we don't own any evening gowns. So
our regular dresses would have to do... we hoped!

Here's the crowd of fans and paparazzi, viewed from the other side. The 'main' members of the media were located
right on the red carpet itself, and they all had to dress in tuxedos as well! 

Here I am, giving my best 'nonchalant movie star' impression, with the entrance and
red carpet behind me.

On top of the stairs of the theater, looking back at the red carpet. It was difficult to actually take a picture while
walking the carpet; it's actually technically not allowed. The large crane on the right holds a camera on its end,
and swivels back and forth, capturing footage of all the important people (ie. NOT me).

An admittedly terrible shot of the theater. We sat on a balcony level, high above where
the actual stars of the movie sat down below. It was still neat to see them in person,
and obviously emotional about their movie being screened.

Many of the movies shown at Cannes are in different foreign languages. Everything not in French is subtitled in French... which doesn't help me much. So we were rather lucky to have gotten tickets for a British-American movie. The movie, called "Loving", is a semi-biographical film about an interracial couple living in Virginia back in the 1960s who were jailed for being married. It was a quiet, affecting film, and one that makes a person think about how some issues are still prevalent today.

I had a wonderful time at the festival; definitely a unique experience that I'm glad to have experienced during my year in France!

Cannes' time to shine

As the weather gets warmer in the south of France, the sleepy little seaside town of Cannes slowly wakes up from its slumber. The small smattering of tourists suddenly becomes an absolute frenzy when the world famous film festival rolls into town, and suddenly it becomes the most cosmopolitan place ever. Of course, this only marks the beginning... Cannes' busy season doesn't slow down until the end of September.

Luckily, I don't live in the middle of all this hype... I only cross my fingers that the airbnb rentals in this building aren't too loud in the upcoming months!

This morning though, I put on my best impression of a photo-happy tourist, and went gleefully into the mob. Of course, there were no movie premiers at this time (I suspect the true movers and shakers were still in bed, sleeping off the partying of the night before), but it was still enjoyable to see the sights.

One side of the road on the Croisette was closed to traffic, making it easy for pedestrians
to get around. At this hour, it was allllll tourists.

A small group of sun worshippers, taking advantage of the day's nice weather. As it often rains this time of year, sunshine
is definitely not guaranteed!

Lots of yellow in this year's festival design. It certainly is eye-catching!

All gated off, and empty... during movie showings, I doubt I could even get within 50
feet of this white gate... it would be mobbed with paparazzi.

What's this?? A fire sale on stepladders? Ha... it's actually where the photographers hang out, so they can take all those
lovely pictures you see online. They're all empty now, but it CANNOT be comfortable to be wedged on top of these
things, all smooshed next to each other... for hours at a time... just to capture a few 'magic' moments. Then again, it
probably pays really really well.

Ta daaaaa! THE red carpet. It looks... kind of lacking when it's all empty like that, eh?

There were no celebrities to be seen, but evidence of wealth was definitely on display at the ports... where yachts of every
size and shape were docked.

Seriously, there were hundreds of yachts around. 

Every one of them were bigger than every single apartment I have ever lived in.

But hey, if I were rich, I'd definitely be up for owning one of these things too!
Well... once I paid handsomely for some doctor to rid me of my tendency to get
seasick, that is!

Not a picture from today, but I'll throw it in here. This is a view of Cannes from atop the hill in the Old City.

The vibe of Cannes has definitely taken on a different hue this week. There's a sense of excitement from all the people milling around, and even the locals seem more energetic. It's an interesting change, and I'm glad to have to the chance to experience it!